A Different Love Story
by cup-of-sleuth
Summary: Shino had spent all her savings on this game–Sword Art Online–and the equipment required to play it. She hoped that it was worth it... — Co-written by TheSilentSwordsman and loosely based on the Hollow Fragment game.
1. I - Escaping Reality

__Disclaimer: I do not own Sword Art Online__

__Co-written by: TheSilentSwordsman__

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__I - Escaping Reality__

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_November 6th, 2022 12:53PM_

Shino Asada stared down at the NerveGear headset in her hands, wondering what had persuaded her to buy the ugly looking thing in the first place. She'd never really been into playing video games before, she didn't have any older brothers who played them either. So why? The only reason she could think of was to escape. Escape the real world and the horrible people who plagued her everyday life. Of course it was only temporary escape, but for now she felt that would be enough. She'd spent all her savings on this game–Sword Art Online–and the equipment required to play it. She hoped that it was worth it.

Setting the headgear down for a brief moment while she removed the bulletproof lenses from her face, she planned to only stay in till dinner time just to try and get the hang of things in the game. The headgear was bulky but surprisingly lighter than she thought it would be once it was on her head. She watched the internal clock, as it ticked away at the time.

_12:59PM_

There was a brief moment where she felt she should take the headgear off, maybe wait until tomorrow to start playing. It was her turn to make dinner tonight after all and what if she ended up spending more time than she had planned inside the game. Something inside her was begging her not to play this game, but she couldn't understand why. It was almost time, she didn't take the headgear off.

_1:00PM_

This was it.

Her conscious told her this was a bad idea.

She didn't listen.

"Link start!"

* * *

Cyan colored hair fluttered in her field of vision. That would be something to get used to. It was almost as if she were wearing a wig, except when she pulled on the strands she could feel it tugging at her scalp. The actual sense of touch in this game was remarkable; it was almost as if she'd never left the real world. She pinched her arm and felt a sting, so pain was replicated as well. She wondered how painful it would feel the first time she died in game, all the more reason to become a good fighter she thought. She glanced down at her clothes–the most basic armor available, the signs of a beginner. Looking around the square she had materialized in everyone else wore the same generic armor, the only variations being in color, hers was tinted teal blue. In the corners of her vision she could see things like a health bar and her player name, one of the few indicators apparent that this was just a video game.

The square was in a frenzy; but not the kind that meant panic. It was joyous and full of players getting to know each other for the first time. A small fraction of these players probably already knew each other from the beta test, but most were newbies like her. It was easy to tell NPCs from real players because of their more elaborate clothes, although once people started leveling up that was sure to change. She began to push her way through the crowds of people, deciding that the best place to start was a weapons shop.

Suddenly, she was approached by a girl with long baby blue hair. She realized how many people in this game had chosen hair that was wildly colored, like an anime character's. "Excuse me!"

"Um, yes?" She stopped when she saw the girl waving for her attention.

"I'm uh… new to video games so I'm not exactly sure where to start here…" The girl admitted sheepishly. "Do you mind if I tag along with you?"

"No not at all. I've never played video games before either, but I think we should probably start with weapons."

"Oh yeah! That seems logical." The blue haired girl giggled. "My name's Asuna, by the way!"

"Sinon. It's nice to meet you."

Asuna gave a friendly smile. "You too! A-ah you don't mind me asking but you are a real girl right? I hear sometimes guys will pick female characters in games so they can get closer to girls."

Sinon shook her head, smiling back. "No I can assure you I'm a real girl, I'm going to assume you are too."

"Mhm!" She nodded, "Well now that we've got introductions out of the way, why don't we go get those weapons."

"Alright."

* * *

No matter how many of these frenzy boars she killed, the sword she held in her hand didn't feel right. Maybe she should try a different weapon, even though it seemed odd to use anything other than a sword in a game called Sword Art Online. Maybe something like throwing knives would be useful. For a little while she and Asuna had worked on leveling up together, but the latter decided she wanted to have another look around the city and Sinon wanted to keep practicing. So they went their separate ways.

Checking the time she realized it was about time for her to logout if she wanted to have dinner done in time, besides she felt the only thing she could do right now is just practice with the sword and that was getting boring. With a swish of her finger she opened the menu, looking for the logout button. But it was strange, she must have clicked on the wrong thing because she couldn't find the log out anywhere. Maybe it was only a glitch that would go away if she closed and reopened the menu. But no, that didn't work either.

No matter how much she looked she couldn't find it. She looked at the time and it was getting later and later. Sinon bit her lip, she wondered if she bit it hard enough it would bleed. As she found out though, the game wasn't that realistic. Maybe she could ask around to see if anyone else's menu was acting weird. Weren't glitches like this common in games? Wait… She couldn't log out. That meant, as far as she knew, she was stuck inside the virtual world. She hoped she could be lucky and run into a beta tester who could point out that she'd been doing it wrong the whole time.

However before she could move to go anywhere, she was startled by the ringing that echoed out through the landscape. "What on earth-" Suddenly she found the world around her fading away, her body surrounded by a blue light. When she had first entered the game she swore she saw similar light around people who had just entered the game. Her question of what it could be was quickly answered when the light disappeared and she was back in the Town of Beginnings. People around her were shouting with frustration. From what she could tell, she wasn't the only one who couldn't logout.

"Sinon!" The voice beckoned her attention and she turned to see Asuna nearby and coming closer. "What's going on, do you know?"

"No, but I can't log out."

"Me neither… Apparently no one can."

"What?" For a simple glitch that was a pretty big problem. No one could logout? She hoped they got that fixed soon.

"Sinon look!" Asuna pointed upwards and the other looked in that direction. To her surprise the sky was now covered in red tiles with text in all caps saying WARNING and SYSTEM ANNOUNCEMENT. She wasn't sure what to think about it, for something that was probably a harmless explanation it sure looked ominous. But ominous seemed to fit it best considering what happened next.

She and Asuna stared on as a faceless, hooded figure began to explain that the missing log out button was not a glitch, but purposely removed as a feature of the game. But the most appalling thing in his explanation, that if they were to die in game or someone were to remove their headgear, the NerveGear would scramble their brains, killing them instantly in the real world. "No…" Asuna whispered in a state of shock, as the figure revealed two hundred and thirteen players had already made those fatal mistakes. Sinon didn't want to accept it, it had to be a lie. From the look on Asuna's face she didn't want to believe it either. The rest of what the figure said was mostly drowned out by her own racing thoughts.

Suddenly Asuna nudged her shoulder. "Look in your storage."

So she did. She swiped her fingers down to open her menu and pulled up her item storage. There was something there that hadn't been before, something labeled HAND MIRROR. Tapping the button to materialize it, it was exactly what the name suggested, a small square mirror. She was confused, staring into the reflection of a girl with hair and eyes completely different from her real ones. But then she was enveloped by light again, and when it disappeared she was staring at her own reflection, not that of a virtual avatar's. The dark eyes and hair that reminded her of the timid girl laying in her bed, trying to escape reality.

"S-Sinon?"

She looked up and in the place of the blue haired girl she knew as Asuna, there stood a girl with long, chestnut colored hair and hazel eyes. They stared back at each other with astonishment. She heard the sound of glass cracking and assumed someone had dropped their mirror in shock.

She barely heard the hooded figures final words before he disappeared. The joyous frenzy from earlier was nothing compared to the pandemonium that ensued. "Sinon, w-what are we going to do?" The new Asuna asked her, but she wasn't listening. Her world had begun to spin out of control.

She came here to escape reality, to escape the girl in the hand mirror, but now this was her reality. She thought of pinching herself earlier to test out the pain sensors in the game, and how dying was something she didn't want to do even then. Now… now dying wasn't an option at all. It suddenly felt like reality. No, it was even more dangerous than reality. Primal, even. She had to survive this no matter what, or she would never see her mother again.

She had to survive. She had to survive.

This time it was her mirror that shattered against the stone pavement.

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**A/N: And it's back! _A Different Love Story_ revised and rewritten. Version 2.0 if you will... Heh... Well there's not much difference between this chapter and the first two from the original version. Why? Because this is the first two chapters of the original story. They've just been combined to make a longer first chapter. If you'll also notice, I've got a new partner. A huge thanks to _TheSilentSwordsman_ for helping me rewrite this story. You won't see much of his influence until next chapter, but if it weren't for him the revised story would be taking a lot longer.**

**For those of you who are new to _A Different Love Story_, welcome and thank you for reading the first chapter. I hope you plan to stick around as I crack out new chapters at least once every week or two. The first few will come quickly since, if you hadn't already gathered from the last two paragraphs, they were already written some time ago. I can't say what will happen once I finish rewriting chapters and start writing new ones. But please stick with me! I promise I will finish this story, even if I may not update for a month or more. Some of my long time readers may know that writer's block is a frequent problem of mine, so please be patient with me.**

**Once again, thank you to old fans for sticking with this and waiting for the revised story, and thank you to new fans for checking out my lame little love story. I hope you all enjoy _A Different Love Story 2.0_!**


	2. II - A Strange Stranger

_Disclaimer: I do not own Sword Art Online_

_Co-written by: TheSilentSwordsman_

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_II - A Strange Stranger_

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_December 2nd, 2022_

It had been nearly a month, and no one had come close to conquering the first floor boss. Sinon had heard talk of a meeting that was going to take place to discuss strategies. Initially she had been one of the many who believed this was just a sick joke and eventually someone would remove her headgear or she would die fighting a monster and would wake up in the bed she'd long taken for granted. But after a month two thousand players died in game and never came back, only seeming to confirm the fact that if you die in SAO you die in the real world. With this thought in mind she had resigned herself to either living in this game for the rest of her life or joining the few who had set their minds to conquering the game and reaching the 100th floor.

She chose to help, if only this once. Helping was her ticket to freedom. She never thought she'd want to go back to the real world so badly, when this whole time all she'd wanted to do was leave it. Perhaps the problems she'd known would be small in comparison to surviving this game. However, she couldn't forget the hooded figures words, that this was no longer just a game.

She could have lived without the temperature settings though. She had arrived to the town early and there was a sort of chill in the morning air. The realism in this game continued to amaze her. She had quickly spent money on a large cloak to keep herself warm in the chilly autumn air, and to also prevent prying male eyes from looking her up and down. It seemed Asuna had been right when she said that some men picked female avatars, because after everyone looked like their real selves, the female population decreased.

Since she was early and the meeting wasn't anywhere close to starting, she decided to make herself comfortable and relax a while, sitting on a bench around some shops in town. She smelled the scent of fresh food cooking in the shops, and she didn't even know how it was possible to replicate the tightening feeling of hunger in a video game as well as the growling sound your stomach made when it was empty. Sinon sighed, the only thing she could afford probably would be another simple loaf of tasteless bread. She already had a few in her inventory, but they were probably already stale, though it probably wouldn't make a difference to the taste. If she had to choke down another piece of that cardboard–

"Hey, would you like some?"

It took her a moment to realize someone was talking to her. Looking up she saw a boy with messy black hair and dark eyes, and a face so round and cute it could be mistaken for a girl's. In his hands was a loaf of the cardboard flavored bread with a bite taken out of it. Her face twisted a little with disgust but he probably couldn't tell with her face hidden by her hood. The boy must've realized Sinon thought he meant the bread when when he saw the confused look on her face. He quickly added, "Not more of this cardboard, I mean." He gestured in the air, bringing up his inventory window. He tapped a few times here and there, and a small container appeared next to him. "This is what I mean," he said, as he tapped his finger to the top of the container. A light glow surrounded his finger, and when he touched the bread, he left a trail of what looked like cream behind his finger.

Whatever it was, the boy seemed to enjoy the bread much more than she usually did. The insistent growling of her stomach was making it hard to think straight. She needed to eat, to keep her strength up, but she hesitated anyway. "U-um, sure…" She took a piece of bread from her inventory, and mimicked the boy's actions, spreading what looked like cream over her bread. Conscious of the boy watching her, she timidly took a small bite._ Is this… butter?_ She looked at the bread incredulously for a second, before quickly finishing the rest.

"You're welcome. Would you like more?"

_Jeez, I didn't even say thank you…_ Of course, she would have loved more, but she felt bad for taking his food, and she was also running low on bread, (food was food, regardless of how disgusting it was,) so she shook her head. "No I'm-" _fine…_ It was too late, and before she knew it he'd torn off a piece of his own bread and placed it in her hands.

"Here."

She sighed in defeat, "Thank you." It would have been rude to give it back.

"So uh… Did you come here for the meeting too?" He asked, breaking off a piece for himself and dabbing some cream on it. Sinon simply nodded taking a bite out of the piece he'd offered her. The boy was quiet, probably thinking of what to say. It felt awkward. "I guess we're early."

She nodded again, her own shyness added on to the awkward situation made it hard for her to talk, which only further added to the awkwardness. She continued to nibble on her bread, wondering if the uncomfortable atmosphere would scare him away.

"Ready to go?"

Apparently, he didn't give up easily.

She took her time finishing the rest of her bread before standing up. Hopefully he'd understand that as a yes. It appeared that he did when he started walking, although that could just have been him leaving without her. She didn't know, since she followed right behind him.

* * *

The meeting itself had been agonizingly long and uncomfortable for her. She held her tongue during the whole thing, and aside from Asuna who–was sitting on the opposite side of the steps they'd all gathered on–it looked like she was the only girl. She didn't feel like drawing unwanted attention to herself. One of the players brought up the topic of the beta testers and Sinon remembered there were people in the game who'd already played it once before. He seemed to be insisting that beta testers had left the rest of the players for dead. Since it didn't really concern her she mostly tuned out, but the dark haired boy from earlier appeared to tense up.

Fortunately a large, muscular man intervened and the final decision was made. They would go to the labyrinth the following morning, find the boss known as Illfang the Kobold Lord, and work together to defeat him. It was finally starting to sink in that if she went through with this, she could die. Judging by her current abilities and skill with a sword she probably would die. It didn't matter how much help the game gave you, it was obvious she wasn't meant to handle a sword or any type of close range weapon. She'd bought a different weapon, but she wasn't sure if it would do her any good.

"Do you have a place to stay?"

"H-huh?" She had been so lost in her thoughts she hadn't noticed everyone leaving, let alone the black haired boy who was now standing in front of her. "I-I… um no…"

"I'm going to the inn, if you want to stay with me."

"S-stay with you?" Of course her mind immediately rushed to the obscene and perverse. Why else would a guy invite a girl to come sleep with him in a room all alone? "I um, no I think I'll be fine." She found herself tugging at her hood to hide her blush. The boy had a clueless expression on his face; obviously he didn't know why she was bothered.

"I don't want you to end up sleeping outside, when you could have one of the beds in the room." He stated, making it clear that they wouldn't be sleeping in the same bed.

"There's more than one bed?" She felt stupid for automatically thinking they'd be sleeping in the same bed. Of course there would be two beds! Sinon, you idiot.

He nodded, "Yeah, there's two."

She supposed it wouldn't hurt, especially if this could be her last night alive. She might as well sleep comfortably in a bed before she met her inevitable end. Maybe she'd use what little money she had left to buy a last meal.

"I'll pay."

Before she knew it, he was already walking away as if she expected her to automatically follow him. She sat there frozen for a moment as she watched, her mouth partially open as she had been about to say something before he'd rudely walked away. He was starting to leave her behind, not even checking to make sure she was still there. Quickly she got up and hurried after him. For someone who appeared to be such a gentleman at first, he obviously didn't know what he was doing around girls.

* * *

They entered the inn, which had not been far from where they started. At the counter, the boy paid for a room with two beds. Sinon looked around, she recognized several other players from the meeting earlier, all gathered around tables talking and carrying on as if there was no risk of them dying tomorrow. Or perhaps they were doing it because they knew they might die tomorrow, just like she was letting this stranger pay for a room so she could sleep in a warm bed one more time. She wondered what it would have been like, trying to defeat the boss without the fear of eternal rest in the back of their minds. Certainly it wouldn't have been nearly as big a deal, because if someone died in game it wouldn't have been a problem, they'd just come back and try again.

The boy had already begun his ascent up the stairs towards their room. Sinon, realizing she was being left behind again, quickly followed after. Would this boy ever stop leaving without her? Once in the room he held the door for her, and shut it once she came in. She looked around. It was just a basic room, but sure enough it had two beds, and she watched as he immediately turned and threw himself onto one of them.

"Ahhhhhhhh!" He sighed. _How graceful_, she noted. "You can have that bed." He gestured to the other.

"Thanks…" Her tone conveyed slight annoyance. It's not like she had wanted his bed, but wasn't it supposed to be ladies first or something? So much for him being a gentleman. She sat down on the edge of her bed. She still hadn't taken her cloak off, and with him in the room she wasn't sure she wanted to.

"Is something bothering you?"

She felt like that was a stupid question, wasn't there something bothering everyone in this game? Like the fact they could actually die for real. "No," she replied nonchalantly, "What about you?"

"You still have that cloak on." He didn't even bother answering her question, only annoying her further.

"So? I can leave it on if I want!" She laid down on her side, back facing him. "Good night!"

"It's six." He stated. "If you want to go to sleep now, that's fine, but it's a little early for me."

Great, now she was making a fool of herself. _Just go along with it, Shino.. I mean Sinon__._ "W-we'll we have a big day tomorrow, we should rest up!" _Wonderful. He must think you're a nervous wreck._

"It's okay to be nervous. I am too."

*_Sigh_* So he had picked up on that. She curled up into a ball, muttering. "You don't seem like it."

"I have to fight. We all have to fight, at one point or another."

They all might die. She knew she was going to die someday, though she had never considered it would happen to her so early. She didn't want to die in some virtual game. "I know."

He sat up. "Then why worry about it?"

"You're not afraid you might die tomorrow?"

He was quiet as he thought for a second, and then he had a good idea. Well, maybe it was a good idea. "No, I am afraid. Everybody is scared of dying. Those who aren't are either depressed beyond hope or insane." He laughed coldly. "But even though I'm afraid of dying, something that's more important than my own life is the people I have to protect, and the people I have to get back to." He paused, "Hey, so… What's something you always wanted to do?"

Sinon uncurled herself from her fetal position. She couldn't believe he could just change the subject like that, but she went along with it anyways. "Um… What do you mean, exactly?"

He looked at her with a cheesy grin. "I mean something that you've never gotten to do, but you've always wanted to."

"Something I've never gotten to do…" She thought about it, "Does… be a policewoman count?"

He laughed. "Yeah, that does kind of count. I want to be a game developer, but we can't really do that right now, can we? Is there anything else?"

_Is he serious? _Now she rolled over to face him. "Well… I've always wanted to try parfait too."

He nodded and jumped up, grabbing her hand. "Let's go see if one of the marketplaces has it."

"Eh-?" She didn't have time to object. He was dragging her up off the bed and out the door before she could blink. He took her down into the town, and after some searching, they found something like a parfait. He bought her one.

"Here."

She stared at it, some part of her wanting to cry, another part wanting to laugh. Most surprising was the urge to hug this stranger. _You don't even know his name! For god's sakes, he hasn't even seen your face! _ "Y-you didn't have to…"

"I wanted to."

"I… Thank you." She gratefully took the desert. Using the spoon that came with it, she took a bite. And to think she thought the bread with cream tasted good earlier. "Mm…"

"What else do you want to do?"

"H-huh? Isn't there anything you want to do?"

"I'm doing what I want to do right now." He nodded to her.

That made her blush. Thank god for the hood. "W-well, the parfait is more than enough." She smiled, although she wasn't sure if he could see it. Maybe he was a gentleman after all. They were both silent after that, but it wasn't really awkward. There just wasn't an opening to say anything between her bites of parfait. Sure there were probably things they could ask each other. Talk about their lives before, wonder what it's like after death. But the silence was almost more comforting.

It was about seven now, and she had practically performed a disappearing act with the parfait. "Let's go back," he announced, standing up from the table they'd sat down at. Since she was done, she stood up as well and nodded.

"Okay."

He began leading her back toward the inn. They didn't talk much for the rest of the night, and the events so far had only exhausted her, so that when she got back to her room, she could only manage to flop on the bed closest to the door, which had been the boy's. As Sinon drifted off to sleep, not even realizing she had crashed in the wrong bed, the boy smiled, satisfied. _Even if we both die tomorrow… At least we'll have each done something we wanted to._

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**C-A/N: Hey guys! This is TheSilentSwordsman, cup-of-sleuth's co-author, and welcome, new readers, and welcome back, loyal readers, to the A Different Love Story redux! Loyal readers will notice a few little edits I made here and there, and I hope you guys like them! (See if you can tell the difference between our writing styles… Hint hint, it's difficult.) cup-of-sleuth and I are working hard to pump out new chapters, so after the first 4 are out, it'll be totally new content! Woo! So yeah. Enjoy the story, I'll be back at the end of the next chapter! :D (hopefully xD)**

**A/N: Ho boy, this chapter was a little later than I wanted, not because it wasn't finished, but because Thanksgiving holidays and family taking up all my computer time. Fortunately it's only a day late! This chapter was a combination of "Generous Stranger" and "Of Parfaits and Policewomen" from the original story. Once again, a huge thanks to my partner in crime TheSilentSwordsman, who dedicated the first hours of our partnership to editing this chapter. I basically let him have full reign of editing this story, and he hasn't let me down...yet. (I'm kidding he's great, you should all thank him)**

**Thank you for your continued patience. Please leave a review and let us know what you think so far! And don't forget to show TheSilentSwordsman the appreciation he deserves. (No really, go favorite him he's amazing)**


	3. III - The First Battle

_Disclaimer: I do not own Sword Art Online_

_Co-written by: TheSilentSwordsman_

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_III - The First Battle_

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What likely seemed it would never come, ended up coming. The sun broke over the horizon, and it was time to face down the biggest threat they had to face yet. "Did you manage to sleep?" The boy asked quietly, the tone in his voice made it sound like he was expecting she hadn't.

If it hadn't been for his voice coxing her further into consciousness, Sinon could have slept in that bed for the rest of her life. She yawned and rolled over, opening her eyes drowsily. Why am I closest to the door? She mused, suddenly blushing bright red when she realized she was in the wrong bed. Luckily, her hood hadn't fallen off during her sleep, so it still hid her face. "Better than I expected to, actually… You?"

Luckily for her, the boy didn't seem to notice, and if he did, he didn't care. "Some…"

She almost asked why. But then she remembered why she was sleeping in that bed in the first place. "I see…"

It was unspoken as to what they were about to get themselves into. He got up and offered her a hand, not really expecting her to take it. She looked at the hand. It looked harmless enough; she figured it couldn't be nearly as painful as what was coming. She reached out and took it with her own, letting him pull her up out of the bed.

A few minutes later they were leaving the room and going into the marketplace. "We should eat something before we go."

A last meal. She thought to herself. "Yeah, probably."

"Anything in particular?" He looked around.

"Well-"

"Sinon-chan? ~Sinon-chan!"

She stopped when she heard someone calling out her name. The voice was familiar, it sounded like… "Asuna?"

The chestnut haired girl ran toward the other female that she had met on her first day in SAO, wrapping her arms around the girl's frame, embracing her gently. The cloaked girl relaxed in the arms of her friend and hugged her back. How Asuna had recognized her she didn't know.

"Sinon, I'm glad I found you! Where have you been? I've been worried sick about you– Who's this?" Asuna stopped her worrying once the black haired boy caught her eye. The boy turned his head to see the girl there, looking at her for probably too long. Sinon could only assume by the stunned expression on his face that he thought her friend was pretty.

"I was at the meeting yesterday, oh– This is… um…" Sinon realized she still didn't know his name. What kind of girl spends the night in a room with a boy whose name she doesn't know? Not a good girl, that's for sure. "He's a friend!" She turned to the boy but realized his attention was still on Asuna.

Asuna's chestnut eyes glanced towards the male, hesitating for a moment. She extended out her hand, smiling a gentle smile. "I'm Asuna. Yuuk–" Sinon pinched her arm before Asuna could finish saying her real name. She glanced at the boy. She thought he looked like a total moron right about then, his mouth hanging open slightly. If he didn't close it soon there was a risk of him drooling on Sinon's shoulder.

Something clicked inside Sinon. "Hey Asuna!" She jumped between them before their hands could meet. Asuna realized what had just happened and put her hand behind her head, laughing, rather embarrassed. "They said everyone should party up yesterday, maybe we should party up together."

"Oh, yes! Of course–we should team up. It would be better against the level one boss, don't you think?" She glanced at the male and giggled girlishly.

Sinon nodded, still trying to keep her friend's attention off the boy behind her. "Yeah, definitely. I'll send you the request."

He finally closed his mouth and managed to say something. "I'm Kirito. A-and yeah… you should join us. Eh heh…" His mouth was closed but he was still staring. This was a professional lady killer right here, Sinon thought.

Something dropped inside Sinon. So he'd tell Asuna his name but not me? Even after we'd spent a night in a room together? Well, to be fair she hadn't told him her name either, but she still felt a little hurt for some reason. She pulled up her menu and sent Asuna the request.

The chestnut haired girl smiled and waved in the direction of Kirito. So that was his name. "Pleasure to meet you, Kirito– oh!" The request came up and she accepted straight away, adding her as the third member to their party.

"Yeah… It's nice to meet you too, Asuna-san."

"Great. Say Asuna, why don't the two of us get something to eat. Uh… you," She was acting like she still didn't know Kirito's name. Sometimes she was too stubborn. "We'll meet you at the labyrinth."

Asuna smiled and nodded her head. Surely she must have wondered why Sinon didn't invited the boy along, but she hadn't said anything. Yet.

Kirito's attention jolted from still looking at Asuna. "Oh, uhh…"

"Alright come on, Asuna." She grabbed the other girl's hand and began dragging her off.

"Ugh–isn't Kirito hungry too?"

"Don't worry about it, he's probably fine."

Asuna looked back towards the male. It was obvious she felt sorry for him. "Oh, Sinon-chan, come on, I mean– look at his face, you can so tell he needs food. Come on, my treat! Also, I'm learning to max out my cooking skills, Sinon, so one day I can cook you all up some delicious grub!"

Kirito did look kind of sad as they walked off. There really wouldn't be much more time for him to get to know either of them before the fight. And he really did need food. She realized she was probably only making herself look like a fool, but she continued to lead Asuna farther from the male. "He can pay for his own food."

Asuna gave Sinon a sideways glance and huffed. "Oh alright then! I guess I can't win with you, huh?"

"Um…" She looked away. "There's a snack shop over there, come on." Asuna followed her as fast as she could.

"Oh, what kind of snacks do you wanna get? Something light for the journey?" She asked as they arrived to the aforementioned snack shop.

"Yeah, probably. I don't think we'll have time to sit and eat a big meal." She looked at the menu, squinting. "I uh… I think this here is supposed to be similar to granola bars..?"

Asuna nodded her head and walked around the stall, picking up pieces of bread, cream, and other drinks. She picked up a mixture of ingredients as well to mix up along the way. "Oh I love those! In the real world, of course. Let's get some and bring them with us."

"Okay." Sinon paid for a few of the granola bar things. "Are you really going to need that many ingredients?"

"Psh–Sinon-chan, I can mix some things up and you'll never know what hit you when you taste 'em! Besides, it's the only way I can get my cooking skill up to the max."

If I live through the day to taste them, I'll believe you. Is what she thought, but what she said was, "I'll believe it when I taste it."

"Oh you will!" She explained proudly. "Come on, let's go and get some Teleport Crystals for the way."

"Alright, good idea." This time Sinon let her friend lead the way.

"And some healing potions too. Those will come in handy."

"Right."

When they arrived to the right shop, Asuna paid for five Teleport Crystals and four healing potions. Hopefully those would help them along the way. "Should those be enough?"

"Mhm, plenty. You'd probably end up broke if you bought more." She said, but she knew that Asuna probably had more money than she did. The girl was better at quests. Sinon was too afraid to be made fun of for her weapon.

"Better to be safe than sorry, but okay! Let's head out!" She said, grabbing a hold of Sinon's hand. Asuna's hand was soft and warm, and gentle to the touch. She was glad that she made a friend in this game. At least there was someone who she could talk to in this game. She knew each day counted within this game. That was what made her treasure each day. They made her way out of the store and into the streets toward their first adventure together. The dark haired girl let the other drag her out of the shop. If this was her last day alive, at least she was glad she got to spend it with someone like Asuna, even if they did have to join up with what's-his-face Kirito again. But she could probably tolerate it for now.

* * *

That's mean… Kirito thought, as he watched the two girls walking away. He caught Asuna stealing another sideways glance at him, and he smiled. "What to do now…" He said aloud, sighing. The comment wasn't directed at anyone, so he didn't expect a response. But when a sarcastic voice replied, for some reason, Kirito wasn't surprised. "Oh-ho! Seems like someone's jealous, huh? It must be tough to be popular with the ladies…" Huh… that voice sounds familiar…

"Klein?!" A look of relief came over Kirito's face.

"Hey, Kirito! You didn't think you could get away from me that easily, did you?"

"Haha, maybe I did. I'm going to the floor one boss fight today, and I think I just got excluded from a last meal…" Kirito said, with mock sadness."

"Oi! Don't say that! Come on, I'll buy you a meal. It's the last thing I can do, considering I'm not even going today." Klein said, grabbing Kirito by the arm. "Good luck!"

* * *

As they neared the entrance, Sinon was looking for Kirito. There he stood, leaning on a wall, eating an apple and watching as another group went in. Had he been waiting there the whole time? His attention turned to see the two girls approaching. "Hey!" He called out, waving.

Asuna waved back. "Hey, Kirito-kun!" Sinon figured it would be pointless to jump between them this time; she wouldn't have an excuse to anyways. As they passed him, he stood up straight and joined them, to end up between the two girls. The chestnut haired girl smiled and they all walked together to the boss room.

"Did you two eat well?" He looked at one and then the other, taking a longer look at Asuna, however.

Asuna blushed and tapped her finger against her chin. "Yes, we got some great stuff!" She looked at her dark haired teammates. "Okay, you two, are we both ready?"

Sinon tugged on her hood, keeping her head down. "Yeah."

It was time for a strategy. "We need to work as a team." Kirito said, glancing between them. Asuna listened carefully to what he had to say, nodding her head. Of course, that was the right thing to do. "The bigger groups are going to fight against Illfang himself. At least in the beginning." Sinon quietly nodded while Asuna was a bit shocked by this, but carried on listening. They needed to listen carefully to understand what to do.

"The smaller groups, like us, are going to fight against his minions." Kirito explained, then he looked over to the cloaked girl. "Sinon, that's your name right?"

She tensed up when he said her name. "Yeah."

"Asuna-san, Sinon-san, what weapons do you fight with?"

"Rapier. It's a one handed sword." Asuna said, showing off the sheath at her hip.

Sinon was quiet for a moment. Well it was no use keeping it a secret. "A bow." She still felt weird for using a bow in a game meant for swords, but it was the only weapon that she didn't have trouble with, besides throwing weapons.

Judging by Kirito's smile though, he was happy to hear she used a bow. "Sinon-san, target only the minion we're going after. Stay right on our tails, but back far enough to be out of their range."

"Would it be best to take the minions one-on-one? And help each other out when necessary? Oh– Yes, I agree with Kirito-kun. I don't want you getting hurt, Sinon."

"I'll be fine…" She wasn't sure she would.

Asuna placed a hand against Sinon's own hand and rubbed it. "You'll be okay, I'll protect you."

A small smile spread on her face. That had relaxed her a little bit. "I'll protect you too."

"That's what we're going to do Asuna-san." Kirito continued on as if he hadn't heard the other part of the conversation. Asuna nodded anyways, bringing herself back into the zone. "Except, we're going to lead two of them together."

"Alright!"

"The idea is that one of us will create an opening for the other, while Sinon-san hits them with arrows."

"Switching in and out?"

"Yes, one will block for the other, while Sinon hits the target whenever she has a clear shot."

"Got it!" Asuna nodded and agreed, Sinon nodded as well.

"Sinon, you're the most important piece here."

"O-oh." No pressure. She hadn't thought her bow would make her important, she thought she would be a nuisance.

"You'll be able to poison them, maybe? It will make them go down easier." Asuna looked to Kirito for his support on the matter. He nodded.

"If you have status effect skills, now is the time to use them."

"Right…" Sinon knew she had that skill, but would it really be as useful as Asuna's rapier skills that gave her magnificent speed? Speed that gave her a lot of help during battles. Or even Kirito's skills? She hadn't seen him in combat, but she didn't doubt he was a good player. She equipped her bow, holding the grip tight in her hand. Whatever she could do was help enough.

She hadn't realized how far they'd gotten when all of a sudden the entire group came to a halt. She looked up and noticed they'd made it to the door, on the other side of it was the boss know as Illfang the Kobold Lord. The leader of the group, Diabel, made an announcement to encourage the players. Kirito reached out and took both of their hands.

"Are you two ready? We'll do this together."

Asuna kept her pace alongside Kirito and Sinon. The bow wielder glanced and saw as her friend blushed when the boy took her hand. Annoyed, Sinon pulled her hand free so that he ended up with only the other girl's hand in his own.

Asuna grinned. "Come on, Sinon-chan, let's show this boss who's the boss around here!" Asuna ran alongside Kirito, holding his hand. When she saw this, something clicked inside of Sinon. She had a weird sudden urge to shoot an arrow at Asuna, but she didn't quite understand why.

"Let's go!" Kirito shouted, shaking Sinon out of her trance.

The leader Diabel yelled, "Commence attack!" as Illfang and his minions ran toward them. Once Asuna heard this she let go of Kirito's hand and headed for the first minion. Kirito was right behind her, drawing his sword. Sinon charged forward, but stopped short of the rest of the group, nocking her first arrow.

Asuna held her rapier with one hand; holding it outwards and ran alongside the creature, dashing through it and slashing it in half. The minion shattered into a thousand polygons just like broken glass and floated up into the air, the sign that she'd killed it. Using her poison arrow skill, Sinon fired a shot at the next minion, sending the arrow straight through it's forehead. Asuna and Sinon smiled at each other, and resumed battling the monsters.

Kirito had ducked under the swing of one of the minions just as it was run through by one of the female archer's arrows, then charged right through it with a sword skill. Asuna followed him and went along behind him, dashing in and out towards the other minions that came their way. While all of this was happening, the main groups were working away at Illfang, who was losing HP gradually.

By a stroke of luck one of the minions hit Asuna, wounding her shoulder. She fell to the ground and shrieked, but got straight back up, her hand against her shoulder. Sinon quickly shot an arrow directly through the skull of the creature that had hit her friend. It burst into polygons instantly.

Could they do it? Was this working? There was only one more minion left. Kirito ran toward it, keeping in line with the two girls. However, the monster got to Asuna first and struck her with a swift blade, causing her to fall to the ground. She landed hard against the floor, hitting her shoulder. She screamed out in pain as it happened, rolling out of the way as the blade of the minion came crashing down towards her head.

"Asuna!" Sinon yelled, feeling for another arrow. Crap! My quiver is empty! I'll have to get more arrows from my inventory! "HYAAAAAAHHH!" Kirito yelled, as he ran in, and in one fluent motion sliced upwards straight through the monster, cutting it in half, as well as sending the two halves flying.

He's stronger than he looks! Sinon thought to herself.

He knelt down next to Asuna. "Do you have a potion?"

Sweat was pouring down her forehead, and she gasped in pain as it crashed through her body. "Yes…" With a little effort she got up her menu and retrieved the potion for Kirito. He took the potion and gave it to her to heal. Asuna's face relaxed as her HP restored. Sinon sighed with relief, but she couldn't see what was coming.

Kirito looked up and as he did, Illfang loomed over Sinon and began to bring his blade down. He turned and dove toward Sinon. "Sinon!"

"Sinon-chan!" Asuna screamed.

"H-huh?" Sinon didn't have a chance to react. She closed her eyes, waiting for the blow, but instead she felt a sudden jerk from a pair of arms that were now around her waist. "W-what..?" Asuna had run over, grabbing her. She hadn't stopped, and so both Asuna and Sinon were well out of the way. As Sinon looked back, she saw Kirito, who had blocked the blow, but was now struggling against Illfang. She felt Asuna breathe a sigh of relief and let her go, moving out of the way. She didn't see it but the other girl had stood up, extending her arms out with her sword at her side, protecting them.

Kirito, using all of his STR stat, deflected Illfang's heavy attacks over and over, to lure him away from Asuna and Sinon. She grimaced when she saw that with each hit, Kirito's HP dropped by a few points.

Staring at Kirito, Sinon wondered how he could be so calm. His face was still as he met the boss's giant sword with his own. As she noticed she'd been staring at Kirito for almost a minute now, she felt her cheeks heat up. "Are you ready?" Asuna asked. "U-um yeah. Sorry."

"Then let's go! We need to help Kirito!" The determination in Asuna's voice made Sinon want to throw down everything she had to help the boy she had only met yesterday.

"U-um, okay… Yeah!"

Asuna ran head on into the battle, and began to help the others take down Illfang. She clashed with his blade and continued on, hitting him multiple times as best she could. Kirito, relieved of being the decoy, ran over to Sinon, who was still on the ground. "Are you okay?" He asked, when he noticed that in all the commotion, her cloak's hood had come loose. She's really pretty… He thought to himself. "Yeah. I'm fine," She replied, while taking his hand and stood up. Kirito glanced over at Illfang, and noticed that the boss was down to his last HP bar. That meant… "Asuna! Get back!" Kirito yelled frantically.

"Asuna!" Sinon screamed, but it was too late. This time the chestnut haired girl got hit straight in the other arm, and was thrown halfway across the room. Kirito managed to catch her, well more like she landed on him, breaking her fall. Her HP bar had reached the red. She tried to get straight back up and head into battle, but she fell, too weak to go on. Kirito grabbed her arm and Sinon ran forward. "Asuna stop!"

Asuna looked back, and saw the both of them. Kirito kept a hold on her, "Wait… take another potion."

"I-I don't need…"

"Take the potion!" Sinon's voice was frantic and she'd already taken out one of her own potions to give to her. Asuna took the potion from her friend and drank it quickly before she got onto her feet. She leaned against Kirito's arm, hoping to regain herself soon.

Just then the boys attention was drawn elsewhere. "That's… That's not what the manual says! Diabel!"

Diabel had stepped forward to attack Illfang, but the boss's attack was different from what was in the manual. The beast leapt up, jumping between the pillars, and came crashing down on Diabel, sending him flying. Sinon and Asuna looked over just in time to see their leader be fatally wounded. Their eyes widened and they gasped, Asuna's hand on her mouth.

Kirito didn't stand there, he went running to Diabel, who laid on the ground with his health dropping fast. The leader had a potion, and Kirito tried to get him to take it but… he wouldn't do it.

Asuna leaned against Sinon as they watched. "Diabel! Take it!"

The leader refused. He encouraged them to keep going, and not to die in this game. One he had uttered his final words, he vanished from Kirito's arms. The whole group watched on in horror.

"No… why…"

"No…"

"Diabel…"

Kirito grasped at his sword, gritting his teeth. Asuna walked towards him and stood beside him. "That's it… we take the boss down…now!"

"Sinon, can you take Illfang's attention from a distance? Hit him in the eyes." He was already beginning to give her orders but she was way ahead of him.

Nocking her arrow, her face grew serious and she aimed her next shot. "I'm offended you even have to ask." She pulled back the string and fired. Asuna went straight ahead, dashing off quickly, without being hesitant. Kirito ran behind her.

"We take him down together!"

"Right! Let's get 'em, Kirito-kun!"

The arrow connected and Illfang charged toward Sinon, just as the boy had wanted. The boss wasn't watching the other two who were already activating their sword skills. The archer continued to rapidly fire arrows at the boss' eyes and face while he was still at a distance. Asuna went straight ahead and round towards his legs, slashing against his ankle. Illfang fell to the ground, causing the girl to start slashing around its stomach. The monster's HP was dropping rapidly. Sinon was running circles around the boss, firing arrows continuously as she went. Kirito jumped forward and began drawing his sword up his body, the last of the three attacks.

Illfang let out a deafening roar, and then exploded into millions of polygons. They had done it. They all watched the glass like shards float away and disappear, the room filled with a stunned silence. But the silence was broken by cheers of victory. Kirito stared at a message that had appeared in front of him, congratulating him for getting the final attack bonus.

Asuna was breathing rapidly and fell to her knees, "Ha… ha…"

She was alive. Thank god. Sinon held her hand over her heart, feeling it beat rapidly. She was alive. She was shaking but she was alive. "We did it…"

Just then a voice spoke up in the distance. "Why did you let Diabel die?" The player named Kibaou asked. Suddenly the cheers stopped and the room was blanketed with silence. They all turned to look at the man who'd spoke. What did he mean? He began to accuse Kirito of already knowing the boss' attack patterns. Someone else yelled out, accusing him of being a beta tester.

The girls watched on with disgust and confusion. Who would have the nerve to accuse Kirito of such things? And a beta tester? Him? There was no way! Asuna shook her head. But the seed of doubt was already planted in the rest of the group. Someone called out for all the beta testers to reveal themselves, and everyone began to look at one another with suspicion. Someone even accused Kirito of being a cheater, which was complete nonsense.

Just then the sound of laughter quieted them, catching the group by surprise. They all turned to stare at the black haired boy who was grinning, though it looked more like a grimace. He equipped his prize, it was a long black coat by the name of 'The Coat of Midnight'. The ends of it fluttered in an imaginary wind. This was surely different from the innocent manner he had before. In fact, this persona almost suited him. Sinon tried to ignore the fact she felt a little attracted to the sudden change. He does look good in black..

He coldly laughed again. "Don't confuse me with those newbies. Most of the beta testers were so green, they couldn't even equip a weapon. Even you guys are better than them. No, I solo'd all the way up until floor 12. The reason I knew the boss's attack patterns was because I've fought monsters on much higher floors than this with ridiculous katana skills." More cold laughter. He cruelly added, "They could probably kill any one of you with one hit."

Asuna gasped and Sinon's eyes widened. He really was a beta tester? He had gone that far in the game? Had he really been that good?! They all continued to listen carefully.

"So don't get me mixed up with those greenie noobs." He finished.

"That's even worse than a beta tester… You… You ARE a cheater!" Kibaou yelled.

"A beta tester and a cheater… a beater!" A voice in the crowd yelled.

"Beater…" Kirito repeated, seemingly savouring the word. "Yeah, I like that." The crowd was stunned as he turned to leave the boss room.

Sinon's breath was caught in her throat and she stared at him for a moment. But then she took a step forward. "Wait-"

He stopped. She didn't know what to say, she hadn't expected him to actually stop. But then he spoke to the girls. "The two of you will be strong. If anyone either of you trusts invites you to join a guild, then you should do it."

Sinon couldn't understand why he was acting like this. Was he just using them for this boss alone? What was going on? He opened his menu, and left their party. She felt her heart sink. Something felt like it was being crushed inside of Sinon. He was leaving without them. "What about you?"

"…"

He took a deep breath and walked forward through the opening doors without looking back. "Kirito- " Come back… Sinon took another step toward him, arm outstretched, but it was too late. Asuna lowered her gaze. He was gone.

After a moment Asuna looked to her friend and sighed, "We're gonna have to keep going, Sinon-chan. Come on, we can do this on our own."

Sinon lower her arm. "Yeah. We don't need him…" She took a deep breath, her eyes were burning but she wasn't going to let herself cry. Not over this. The chestnut haired girl placed a hand upon her shoulders, leaning her head against her. The only thing that mattered was that the two of them were still alive.

Asuna sighed. "Come on, let's get going."

* * *

**A/N: I somehow managed to slip this update in today when I'm getting ready to go on an eight hour road trip. I'm also turning 20 tomorrow, only one more year until I can drink away my sorrows. (Just kidding kids, I don't even like alcohol) This chapter, like the two before it, was originally split into two, but why I cannot remember. It's much better like this.**

**Thank you to my partner TheSilentSwordsman for his efforts in fine tuning this chapter. His help has really made a difference in getting this rewrite done. And you can look forward to the Silica chapter, which is actually being written this time. Don't forget to leave us a review, and keep an eye out for chapter four next week!**


	4. IV - A Reunion, of Sorts

_Disclaimer: I do not own Sword Art Online_

_Co-written by: TheSilentSwordsman_

* * *

_IV - A Reunion, of Sorts_

* * *

_December 16__th_, _2022_

_That goddamned jerk! _Sinon thought to herself, staring up at the sky. She was beginning to lose hope she'd ever see Kirito again, even though it had only been a week since the boss battle. _It's not like I can't survive without him..._ _Ugh!_ Ever since that day, Sinon's head had been crowded with thoughts of Kirito, though she didn't know why. "_If anyone either of you trusts ever invites you to a guild, then you should do it…"_ Kirito's last words resurfaced, only further annoying Sinon.

"Oi? What's such a cute girl doing all alone?" A voice shook her out of her thoughts

"Tch…" She looked behind her, to see the red-eyed boy who had been watching her. "Go away, Xaxa. I don't want to join your guild." She turned around again, making sure to not make eye contact with him.

"Oh come on, I think you'd make a great addition… It's even got a cool name! Laughing Coffin… Isn't that cool?" Xaxa mused, mostly to himself.

"For the last time, I refuse. I don't want to join a guild, ever." She bit her lip, reminding herself of Kirito's words. Mostly, she just wanted to rebel against the boy that left her so easily. "Especially one that you're in." She added.

"Sinon…" Xaxa started to approach. She could tell only because she could hear his feet crushing the grass underneath. "Tch!" A knife appeared in the ground, right in front of him. It took him a second to realize that Sinon had thrown it. "Alright, fine… Be that way. But I bet we'll become one of the most powerful groups!" _And most feared, too…_ He added, under his breath.

"It's only a game, Xaxa."

"Whatever you say." Xaxa turned and left.

* * *

_Christmas, 2023_

Kirito put his head in his hands, frustrated with himself. For the past year, he'd thought about Sinon, and Asuna. He wondered if he made the right choice, leaving them like that. It had taken all of his willpower, but he didn't want those two being ridiculed for hanging around with a 'beater'. He thought he had found solace with _them… The Moonlit Black Cats…. Their deaths are on my hands… _

Without warning, another wave of grief overcame Kirito. He felt like crying. _If I run a suicide mission to the boss dungeon, no one would miss me… Especially not Asuna or Sinon… They probably hate me._

Kirito had gathered all of his gear when he heard a knock at the door. Wary, Kirito made his way to the door and opened it.

* * *

Sinon hoped she'd heard right when Asuna had told her which inn room she'd been staying in. The in-game call function was kind of glitchy, and it was hard to hear the other player's voice. She had heard "room 32," but it could have been "room 42" just as easily. _Oh well, I guess I'll take my chances. _She thought, as she knocked on the door of room 32. _I hope it's Asuna._

* * *

When Kirito opened the door, the only thing he could register was the dark hair, and a familiar smell. _It couldn't be… Sinon?_ The next thing he knew, he was tackled by a hug.

"Baka!" A voice cried. He could hear that the girl was about to cry.

"Sinon…" He sighed happily, and hugged her back.

She pushed him away, and when he looked at her, tears were streaming down her face. "Kirito! God damn it, where have you been!? How could you have just left us?!"

"I'm sorry Sinon…" He sighed again, more drawn out and sad this time. "I didn't want you guys to get mixed up in this whole beater thing…"

"That's what it was about? Come on Kirito, I wouldn't have had a problem with that… Plus, what were you thinking?! Leaving for a whole year and never contacting us?!" She replied.

"I didn't want to get you involved anyway… I was kind of just waiting for the whole 'beater' thing to blow over, but it never did..." He said.

_He's protective, I'll give him that… But he's still a massive jerk!_ Sinon thought. Suddenly, she noticed the worry lines that were forming on Kirito's face. "Um, are you okay?" She asked. When Kirito didn't reply, but instead looked sullenly at the ground her heart skipped a beat. _What had happened to such a positive boy to make him like this?_

Sinon suddenly grabbed Kirito's hand and was dragging him out the door before he could protest. "Si-Sinon… Where are we going?"

"Just come with me. I wanted to take you somewhere."

* * *

Sinon had lead Kirito through a teleport gate, back to the Town of Beginnings. Memories had started to flood back into his mind, and now he stood at a very familiar dessert store. "_I've always wanted to try parfait too"... _Sinon had said. He wondered if this was some kind of cruel trick, to get back at him for leaving Sinon and Asuna behind so willingly.

Leading him inside, Sinon cursed under her breath. She hoped she had enough money on her. Sitting down, Sinon opened the menu, and tapped a few times. Confused, Kirito fidgeted in his seat. "Why are we here again?" He asked.

Sinon didn't reply, only closing the menu, to have a little parfait-like desert appear on the table in front of her. "Here. My treat." she said, hoping for Kirito to smile, or eat… Anything.

"A parfait… What's this for?" He repeated his earlier question.

"Think of it as thanks. Thanks for saving my life."

"Tch…" Kirito bit back a sob. "I haven't saved anyone…"

"Well, you saved me. And with just a silly little parfait, too." She smiled.

"How...? You did all the fighting… The arrows… I would have been dead…" He slowly replied.

Sinon sighed. _You just don't get it, do you?_ "Kirito, I thought I was going to die. I had resigned myself to living here- and dying here, too. Don't you get it? That parfait gave me hope."

"I… I think I should leave."

"Kirito, wait. I don't know what you're going through, or what's happening, and it might not be something a little parfait can fix, but… I want you to know that I still believe in you."

"Really? I… thanks…" Kirito dipped his head, and the shadow from his hair covered his eyes.

"It was really good to see you again, Kirito, but I have to go meet up with Asuna now… If I'm lucky, I'll see you again soon!" She said, putting on her coat and standing up.

As Sinon walked out the door, Kirito thought he'd try the parfait. _Mm… It's good!_ For the first time in months, he smiled.

Sinon looked back, and upon seeing Kirito enjoying the parfait in the spot she had done a year back, she smiled too. _Kirito… Good luck!_

* * *

**C-A/N: Hey guys! It's me again, TheSilentSwordsman! I hope you guys are liking the story! The first thing I wanted to say was: it's a love story, baby just say yes. (JK) It's a love story, so Sinon is OOC, yes she stayed with a guy she just met, but in retrospect she thought she was going to die anyway. Plus, we need to throw that extra cheesiness in there to give it that love story oomph! I am having a little difficulty helping sleuthy here writing the fifth chapter, as it's getting a little hard to differentiate the two different plotlines (My story and hers)… I might even accidentally make a reference to something out of my story, _Swords and Bows_, but I'll just rely on cup-of-sleuth to catch those, hehe. Anyway, I hope you guys are enjoying the story as much as I'm enjoying working on it with her! Oh yeah. HOLY TIME SKIP! That's all. :D (I'm not going to do my customary exit, as it's not my story, but I'll check in with you guys every once in a while! Cya!)**

**A/N: Okay so revised this still doesn't quite hit my 2,000 word minimum. However, I'm making an exception because, unlike last time I was writing this story, chapter five is actually making progress. Slow, but it's coming! I can't promise it'll be on time with an update schedule, in fact if you noticed this chapter was an entire weekend late. You can blame that on my immune system and my inability to function properly when I have a simple cold.**

**I'd also like to address the reviews pertaining to things being OOC. Yes, I'm very much aware that these things are unnatural for the characters, as I'm a fan who not only owns the anime but the light novels. However, despite this fact TheSilentSwordsman and I can't perfectly write their characters to a T. We can try our best, but in the end our own influence gets thrown in there. And this is supposed to be a cheesy love story. I mean... love story is in the title isn't it? (I'm pretty sure it is, correct me if I'm wrong) A lot of the story is actually based around Kirito and Asuna's original relationship with Sinon replacing Asuna in certain parts, yes this is true. But I have plans to make it different later on, more original in coming chapters. In fact I've plans to entirely change how the final battle happens. My original partner and I had to start somewhere, though. I must remind you all that TheSilentSwordsman is not my original partner for this story, but has proven to be far easier to work with and his writing style is very similar to mine so that this all works perfectly. I will say though, I had to brood over one particular review and it almost made me feel like quitting. But in the end, it's all constructive criticism and writing fanfiction is only practice for me, and I promised I would finish this story.**

**I apologize for this wall of bolded text, I just felt the need to explain all of that. Please continue to review and leave us feedback, I do hope you enjoyed this chapter even though it was short. Please keep an eye out for chapter five! And thank you for reading!**


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